 However, Berdous and Mfdal were musicians with Hadj Abdesalam Attar and Bachir Attar until their deaths in the late 1990s.This throws doubt on the claim that Hadj Abdelsalm Attar was leader, tribal or otherwise, in the late 1960s or early 1970s.However, Rikki Stein has since pointed out that there were regular elections held amongst the musicians and their supporters, who were also permitted to vote.